


Santa Claus is Comin' to Town Retold

by NoMoreVillains



Category: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (1970)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:27:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28026258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoMoreVillains/pseuds/NoMoreVillains
Summary: A girl is swept into the story of Santa Claus after meeting a postman.
Kudos: 3





	Santa Claus is Comin' to Town Retold

Today, children everywhere are making preparations for an event of world-shaking significance... The annual visit of Santa Claus. Informed sources report legions of junior citizens are making monumental efforts not to cry and not to pout. Meanwhile, letters by the thousands have been flooding postal facilities at the North Pole.

A red-headed young woman wearing snow gear was arriving at the post box with a letter to Santa from her little brother. Suddenly, a car engine rumbling made her turn around. She gasped when she saw an out of control mail truck spin out of control and she jumped out of its way before it came to a halt. "Watch it, will you?!"

"Sorry," the driver of the truck called out as he stepped out. "You're not hurt are you?" The man looked an awful lot like Fred Astaire.

"No," she said as she helped herself up. "Nothing a law suit won't fix."

"Blame my truck, darn thing always conks off when you..." He paused before saying, "Where are my manners? My name is Special Delivery Kluger. S.D. for short."

"Natasha Fullbright. Tasha for short. I was just hurrying to deliver my brother's letter to Santa."

"Oh, then you might want to add it to the pile," Mr. Kluger gestured to the huge sacks full of letters in the back of his truck. Now that Tasha took a look at it, it looked more like a cross between a snowmobile and a delivery truck. "Oh, I've got lots of letters for Santa today, and every year, they're the same. Some ask for toys, but a lot ask questions." He took out one of the letters and opened it. "Like, take this one."

A little girl's voice came out of the letter and spoke, "Dear Santa, why do you wear a red suit?"

"Uh-huh. I thought so."

Tasha let out a shriek. "It talked!"

"Course it did," said Mr. Kluger like it was nothing. He opened another letter. "And this one..."

"My turn," said a boy's voice coming from the letter. "Dear Santa, why do you come down the chimney when I'm asleep?"

"And how about these?"

More kids' voices rang out, "Why do you have whiskers? Why do you live at the North Pole? Why do you leave presents? Why do you always come on Christmas Eve? Why do some people call you Kris Kringle? Why? Why? Why?"

Tasha let out a snicker. "Something funny on your mind?" asked Mr. Kluger.

"Sorry. I just remember when I was as naive as these kids. Then I found out there is no Santa Claus."

Mr. Kluger let out a gasp like she said an offensive word. "What?!"

"I-I'm sorry. It's just...when I was five, I wanted to meet Santa in person instead of sending him my letter."

Mr. Kluger nodded. "Don't we all."

"So one night, I hid behind the sofa and waited for him to come down the chimney. But he didn't come down. Instead, I found Mom and Dad setting up the presents under the tree." Tasha shook her head. "And that's how I found out there is no Santa Claus. I'm afraid to tell that to my brother, but we all have to grow up and stop believing in magic sometime."

Mr. Kluger said, "Just because we grow up doesn't mean we have to stop believing. Look at me! I'm in my thirties and I still believe! Hey, maybe you should know the real story of Santa. Maybe that might get you to believe. I mean, surely, before you found out, you must have asked the same questions those kids asked."

She folded her arms and said, "Well, I have. Once or twice."

"Well, pull up an ice block and lend an ear!" She sat down on an ice block and that's when she noticed the woodland critters gathered around, as if they wanted to hear his story, too. "Now, Santa is a busy man. He has no time to play. He's got millions and millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day. So you'd better write your letter now and mail it right away, because he's getting ready with his reindeers and his sleigh."

Then he began to sing. "So, you better watch out, you better not cry! You better not pout, I'm telling you why!"

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town Retold

"So you all want to know all about Santa, eh," Mr. Kluger asked to his audience. "Best place to start is at the very beginning, when Santa was just a little baby."

"You mean Santa was once a baby," a child's voice giggled.

Tasha shivered. "I'm convinced those letters are possessed."

"Of course," the postman said to the letters. "Everybody's got to be a baby at least once in their lives. Now, this was years and years ago... Oh, way back."

Snow started to swirl around and began to form the image of a village in the middle of a mountain valley. It was like the snow had formed a moving painting. There was one word to describe the village: gray. The buildings were gray, the roofs were gray, even the people's clothes were gray. And everyone looked absolutely miserable.

Kluger narrated, "In one of the northern countries, there was a small city called Sombertown. It was a cold, cold place which shivered in the shadows of the strange Mountain of the Whispering Winds. Now, the main reason for all this gloom was the mayor... a mean old grouch of a fellow who was known as Burgermeister Meisterburger."

The image transformed into an office. Sitting at his table, eating a turkey leg was a fat, balding man with a medal pinned to his gray suit. With him in charge, it was no question why everyone was...well, somber. Suddenly, a small soldier burst into his office, carrying a bundle. "Herr Burgermeister! Herr Burgermeister! Look at what was discovered on your front stoop!"

"What, what, Grimsly," the Burgermeister asked, not even turning away from his dinner. "The milk? The daily paper?"

"No, sir! A baby!"

"Oh, is that all?" The Burgermeister coughed and sputtered his food when he heard that. "A baby?!"

"And there's a note. 'Please, sir, take care of my child, and protect him from the dangers of the Mountain of the Whispering Winds. He will be exceptional if only given the love he needs.'"

But the Burgermeister clearly did not like that idea. "I, Burgermeister Meisterburger, take care of a baby?! OUTRAGEOUS! What's its name?"

Grismly held up a medal attached to the baby's bundle. "This is the only clue, sir. It says, Claus."

The Burgermeister snorted. "Oh, take the little...er...baggage to the orphan asylum. That's the proper place for foundlings, anyway." The baby started crying, only annoying the Burgermeister even further. "GET THE BRAT OUT OF HERE!"

Tasha wanted to kill the Burgermeister for basically shooing the baby out like a rat. But since it was just an image, she couldn't do anything. The scene then changed to Grimsly pulling Baby Claus on a sleigh to the orphanage, but the winds were growing stronger and stronger. Suddenly, he heard a snap and turned around, but he found nothing behind him. "Oh, the sleigh! It broke away! Oh my goodness! Where are you, baby Claus?! Oh, do come back! Come back!"

Tasha watched in horror as the sleigh was picked up by the wind like it was as light as a feather and carried it over the mountain. "Well, that strange wind blew the little sleigh right up to the Mountain of the Whispering Winds." A group of animals watching this chased after the sleigh.

"Those animals knew it was flying straight into danger," S.D. Kluger continued. "For, you see, that Mountain was the home of the awful, the terrible... Oh, I hate to even say his name! That Mountain was the home of the..."

Lightning crashed and Tasha nearly screamed in horror as the image turned into that of a man with a white robe and pointed hat and with skin and hair made entirely of ice. "...WINTER WARLOCK," the deliveryman said dramatically. "The strange hermit of the north who lived alone in a ghostly palace of ice, practicing his strange spells and snowy incantations.

"The animals knew they had to hide that baby, and fast." The animals quickly caught up to baby Claus after the sleigh crashed into a tree and hid him under a pile of branches before the Winter Warlock could see him. When the Warlock walked away, the animals took the sleigh and carried it across the mountain.

"They knew where that baby belonged, so, quick as they could, they started on their way."

"Where, where?" one of the children's voices asked.

The image changed to show a beautiful valley covered in light snow, green pine trees and with a cottage in the center. Mr. Kluger narrated, "Well, you see, just beyond the Mountain was Rainbow River Valley, and there, by a bend in the magical stream, was the home of a jolly family of little people... Elves, you might call them. Kringle was their name."

The animals placed the sleigh on the stoop and knocked on the door before they scurried away.

"The door was answered by an elf named Dingle. Dingle Kringle to be precise."

The door opened and out stepped a little man with a long white beard and wearing a red suit with black boots. "Yes, who's there?" he called out in a squeaky voice. "There's who?" He looked down to find the bundle. "Ooh! Wiggle my ears and tickle my toes! Methinks I see a baby's nose! It's more than a nose. There's a whole baby attached to it! Better call my brothers." He called out, "Wingle! Bingle! Tingle! Zingle!" Four more elves with various different beard styles and lengths exited and crowded around the baby.

"What is it, Dingle?"

"It's a baby, Zingle."

"A baby what, Wingle?"

"A baby baby, Tingle."

"I like babies, Bingle."

"Our baby's the best baby of them all, Wingle."

The five elves brought the baby inside and presented him to a fat old woman with a white beehive bun and wearing a red dress with a white apron. "They brought the little fella to the elf queen, Tanta Kringle."

Tanta took the babe into her arms and held him close. "A baby! What a splendid idea! He shall live with us and sleep with us and drink warm cocoa with us."

"What do we call him, Tanta Kringle," Zingle asked.

"His license says Claus," pointed out Dingle.

"Unusual name," said Tanta. "However, we shall call him Kris. Kris Kringle!" The elves cheered.

"I'm still not believing it yet," said Tasha. "Sorry, but you'll have to try harder than that."

S.D. Kluger made a mischievous smile. "Why don't we get a little more into it, then?"

"Huh?" Snow blew around Tasha and she shut her eyes tight.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a different environment. A valley surrounded by snow covered pine trees and a small house that was at the end of a magic stream. "Mr. Kluger?" No response. "Mr. Kluger! This isn't funny!" No one responded. Her eyes fell on the small house. She gulped and approached its door and knocked.

The door was answered by one of the elves, Dingle. "Uh...hi." The elf gasped and ran back inside. Tasha frowned. "Well, that's a warm welcome."

The door opened again and all the Kringles were on the other side. "How do you do," Tanta asked. "We don't get that many visitors here. Come to think of it, we don't get any visitors. Too scared of the Winter Warlock."

"I...I'm sorry to intrude," Tasha said, feeling a little awkward. "I got lost. I don't know where to go."

"You poor dear," Tanta said. "Please come in. There's room for one more."

The girl was brought into the little house. In it was a workshop where all kinds of toys were in the process of being made: trains, boats, ballerinas music boxes, jack-in-a-boxes, teddy bears, tin soldiers, stuffed animals, porcelain-headed clowns, race cars, and even a Noah's Ark.

"You sure are into the toy-making business," Tasha said.

"We certainly are," said Tanta. "We Kringles have been making toys since since the beginning!" She pointed to a cave painting hanging on the wall. It depicted a caveman in red furs giving simple dolls and toys made from wood and dinosaur bones to a group of cave children. "Why, we've been making toys to everyone over the world!" She pointed to more pictures that go back to the ancient Egyptians, the Chinese empire, the Italian Renaissance, the American Revolution and the Victorian times.

The old elf queen sighed. "But, when the Winter Warlock came, we haven't been able to give toys to anyone. Eventually, the name Kringle faded into obscurity." She shook her head sadly. "If only we can give our toys again."

A whimpering sound coming from a crib made the two women turn. Kris was leaking tears. "Oh, don't cry, Kris," Tanta said, taking him in her arms. She gently rocked him, but he still didn't stop. Tasha got a little closer to him and he tried to reach for her. "What, you want her to hold you?"

Kris shook his head and reached for Tasha's face and tried to pull her lips into a smile. She realized, "I don't think he likes it when people are sad. It's like whenever someone else is sad, he feels sad."

"Oh, don't you worry, Kris," Tanta cooed. "We won't feel sad all the time. In fact, I think you being here brightened my heart a little."

Kris giggled a little. Tasha smiled. "You know, I think this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Then her nose picked up a foul odor. "Hey, who's on diaper duty?" The Kringles were all gone. "Figures. Not to worry. I've had plenty of experience with my little brother."

Suddenly, Tasha found herself sitting back on the ice block with S.D. Kluger. "What? What?!" She looked around frantically. "Where's Kris? Where are the Kringles?!"

Mr. Kluger chuckled. "I told you you would get into the story. Christmas magic is strange, but very beautiful."

"But...what happened to Kris? Or Claus, or whatever?"

"Well, those little Kringles took that baby to their hearts. Soon as he was old enough, they set up a little school and taught him all the important things. How to read and write and talk and count stars on a crystal night, and how to make toys."

"Make toys?"

"Oh, sure! That was the Kringles' main occupation. They were toymakers. The only problem was there were no children to give them to. You remember, Sombertown was on the other side of the Mountain of the Whispering Winds, and the little elves just couldn't make it past the Winter Warlock. So..."

The snow swirled around her, and she saw the image of the Kringles throwing all their hard work into a giant pile outside their house.

"The toys kind of stacked up some."

Once again, Tasha found herself back in the Kringles' cottage. Kris had grown into a young boy. At least I skipped diaper duty, she thought. Then she took another look and thought she could see her little brother in him. She suddenly felt homesick.

"What's wrong?" Kris asked her.

"Oh, it's...I miss home, that's all."

"Don't worry," the boy said. "I'm sure you can find your way home somehow." He gave her a hug. "Please don't be sad. You know I don't like sour faces."

Tasha smiled and patted his head. "It's okay to be sad."

"Not all the time."

"You're right about that." She looked out the window to see the huge toy pile. "But, what are we going to do about them? We might not make anyone happy if those can't be given away."

Tanta Kringle shook her head. "It's really quite sad. We will never be able to transport our toys over the mountain."

"Someday, when I am bigger, I'll take them for you, Tanta Kringle," said Kris.

"Oh, that will be the day! We will be great toymakers again, as we once were."

"When was that, Tanta?"

The elf queen took out a book titled, "Kringle History". She explained, "Oh, years and years ago. The Kringles were world-renowned, for, you know, we were the very first royal toymakers. The first toymakers to the King."

Tanta began to sing as she showed the two the Kringle history.

Tanta: It's a difficult responsibility  
When you accept an appointment from his majesty  
You must strive for just the perfect quality  
When you're the first toymaker to the King

Tanta showed them illustrations of the toys they've created.

All the soldiers must stand erect  
For the Kingdom they protect  
The balls must bounce much higher  
If they're to please his royal sire

The ball in the book suddenly bounced out of the book and into Tasha's hand. On a shelf, a ballerina music box began to spin on it's own. Tasha danced along with it.

Tasha: The ballerinas must pirouette  
Upon their musical toes

A clown danced before her.

Tanta: And the clowns must make a King forget  
All his Kingly woes

The Kringles: It's a difficult responsibility  
When you accept an  
appointment from his majesty  
You must strive for just the perfect quality  
When you're the first toymaker to the King

Tasha placed a toy boat into a tub and gave it a push.

Tasha: All the sailboats must never sink  
And the dollies always wink

Dolls sitting on a shelf gave her a wink.

Tanta: The Teddy Bears be furry  
If they're to gain his royal curry

The Kringles: The Jack-in-Boxes must always pop  
At every regal command

Tanta and Tasha: And the kangaroos must learn to hop  
Into the Prince's hand

As if on cue, a kangaroo plush toy jumped into Tasha's hands. For the finale, the Kringles danced around Kris and Tasha.

The Kringles: It's a difficult responsibility  
When you accept an appointment from his majesty  
You must strive for just the perfect quality  
When you're the first toymaker to the King

The Kringles and Tasha applauded at Kris' first toy he created: a wooden music box with ornate designs and a little bell in the center. He gave it to Tasha. "Consider this your first Kringle toy," he said.

Tasha smiled. "Thank you, Kris."

So that's why he makes such wonderful toys.

That's right. The Kringles taught him everything he knew.

Later, Kris took Tasha outside for some fun with his animal friends.

Of course, Kris had other teachers - the animals.

Kris and a pair of reindeer ran through the trees. Tasha tried to keep up only to trip on a log and fall flat on her face in a snowbank.

Kris climbed a tree with a family of squirrels. Tasha proved to be a great climber...until one broken branch caused her to fall into the snow.

Kris and Tasha also played with the seals, who taught them how to belly slide across the ice. Tasha lost control and crashed into a snow pile. Kris laughed. Not to tease her, but because it was so funny.

But the seals taught him the most important things: how to have fun and...

One large seal made a bark that sounded like a laugh. Kris barked back. Tasha frowned a little then said, "A little deeper, Kris."

"Like this? Ho, ho, ho, ho!"

...how to laugh. Real hard and wonderful like meant it.

"Ho, ho, ho, ho!"

Well, years went by, and finally, Kris was a fine young man.

"I'm a man now, Tanta."

Tasha looked him over and wolf whistled. "A very strong and handsome man," she said.

"Ah, shucks. You're making me blush. I can take those toys across the Mountain of the Whispering Winds."

"It would be nice if someone played with our toys," the Kringles said. "If only one of my dollies could be held tight by a little girl."

"It's decided, then. Tomorrow, I leave for Sombertown."

The Kringles cheered. Then Tasha asked, "Can I come with you?"

"I don't see why not. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just I don't want you to be alone on your way to Sombertown."

Kris nodded. "It's decided."

Later that night, Kris was packing the toys when Tanta entered his room, holding something furry and red and white. "Tanta Kringle? Ah, I was just packing. Did I wake you up?"

"I was awake anyhow. I made this for your trip."

"A real Kringle suit!"

Tasha was sleeping when someone gently nudged her awake. "Tanta? What time is it?"

"It's the crack of dawn, sweetie. Kris is almost ready to leave. I wanted to give you this."

Tasha stood up in bed when she saw her holding the red and white outfit and black boots. "A Kringle suit? I can't be called a Kringle."

"But you are an honorary one. You've been around to help Kris and made him laugh with your antics. Don't forget to give him a laugh every once in a while while you're on your trip."

"I won't, Tanta."

So that's where he got the red suit.

Yep, and he's always worn one just like it, right to this day. Well, Kris said good-bye to all his friends, elf and animal. Just as night was falling, Kris started to make his way through the dismal forest which lay at the foot of the Warlock's Mountain.

Tasha held Kris close as they traveled along the mountain path. The trees looked like arms trying to reach for them and she whimpered every time she heard a strange noise. "It's a difficult responsibility," she sang to herself. "When you accept an appointment from His Majesty."

"Don't worry," said Kris. "Nothing's going to hurt us."

Suddenly, something sped toward them. "HEY!" Kris and Tasha yelled as the thing crashed into a snowbank. The thing popped out and shook the snow off its head. Kris and Tasha blinked in confusion, then Tasha sighed in relief. "It's just a penguin." A penguin wearing a black and yellow scarf to be precise.

The penguin honked.

"But...what is a penguin doing here?" asked Kris. The penguin did some charades. "You're looking for a stick?" The penguin shook his head.

"A branch?" suggested Tasha.

"A log?"

"Pole?"

The penguin honked and nodded his head.

"The North Pole?" suggested Tasha.

The penguin shook his head.

"No? The South Pole," said Kris. The penguin honked and nodded his head. "Well, little feller, that's on the other end of the Earth. You're just about as lost as you could get. You better travel with us. You need someone to take care of you." The penguin hopped up and kissed Kris and Tasha. "Now, cut that out. Come on, uh, Topper. I'll call you Topper. Okay?"

The penguin honked in approval.

Tasha gave Kris a weird look. "What kind of name is Topper?"

"He just looks like a Topper to me." Topper honked in agreement with Kris. "Come on, this way, little feller."

The trio didn't get far when suddenly, a deep booming voice shouted, "WHO NEARS MY MOUNTAIN?!" Topper jumped into Tasha's arms in fear. Tasha was just as scared. "GO BACK OR YOU ARE DOOMED!"

"Come on, guys," said Kris, grabbing his sack and running with his friends.

The Winter Warlock laughed as he watched them go. "I shall get them when they return. They have to cross my mountain on the way home. And then...heh, heh, heh...NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY!"

"We made it guys," said Kris after they finally escaped the Mountain of the Whispering Winds. "And...and look! Sombertown!" At the base of the hill was the dimly lit village of Sombertown, still looking just as gray as always. "Just sitting there waiting for us and our good Kringle toys!"

That's what they thought. But what they didn't realize was at that very moment in the Sombertown City Hall...

Grimsly banged his bayonet as he announced, "His honor, Burgermeister Meisterburger!"

The Burgermeister exited his office...and slipped down the stairs after he stepped on a toy duck.

He was brought to the doctor's office where he was diagnosed with a broken leg and had to wear a cast. The doctor said, "As I suspected. You've broken your funny bone."

The Burgermeister groaned as he asked his yes man, "What caused me to trip, Grimsly."

"This, sir," Grimsly said as he held up the duck.

"Hmm? A toy?" The Burgermeister became angry. "As I suspected. I HATE TOYS! AND TOYS HATE ME! Either they are going or I'm going! And I am certainly not going, Grimsly. I have a job for you to do! Now take this down." Grimsly wrote his notes as the Burgermeister sang.

Burgermeister Meisterburger: It's a difficult responsibility  
That you accept from the number-one lawmaker, me  
Have it known throughout the land, from sea to sea  
There'll be no more toymakers to the King

The Burgermeister began to fantasize all the horrible things done to toys.

Burgermeister Meisterburger: All the tin soldiers, melt them down  
Wash the face of every clown  
Each bouncing ball, deflate it  
No, I don't want to debate it!

The ballerinas who pirouette  
Arrest their musical toes!  
Outlaw the dolls and sink the boats  
They bring me only woes

It's a difficult responsibility  
That you accept from the number-one lawmaker, me  
Have it known throughout the land, from sea to sea  
There'll be no more toymakers to the King

Every Jack-in-the-Box be sealed  
Till my wounded pride be healed  
Stuffed animals... unstuff 'em!  
When a child objects, rebuff him!

No more drums who rat-a-tat-tat  
No bugles who root-a-toot-toot  
Don't let me see another toy  
Or you will feel my boot

Grimsly: It's a difficult responsibility  
That he extracts from the number-one law keeper, me  
Be it known throughout the land  
From sea to sea...

The following day, a new law was formed. "Toys are hereby decreed illegal, unlawful, unmoral and anyone found with a toy in his possession will be placed under arrest and thrown in the dungeon. No kidding!"

Grimsly: There'll be no more  
Toymakers to the King!

The new law was put into effect immediately. Soldiers stole children's toys and threw them into carts to be taken to the bonfires. "No holding back now! Give us all your toys by order of the Burgermeister!"

The children were more miserable than ever. "We'll never play again," they cried.

At that same moment, Kris, Tasha and Topper came to town. "Ho, ho, ho, ho!"

The townspeople didn't know what to make of Kris.

Kris tried to greet the people in his friendly ways, but they didn't reply in kind. Some of them frowned at him, some turned away from him and some made rude gestures. "Hi there. Ha ha. Nice day, friend."

"Don't 'hi' me!"

Kris said to an old woman, "Good morning, ma'am."

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, young man," she said bitterly. "Wearing such outlandish clothes."

Kris looked down at his suit. "Clothes? Look, all I want to do is give away these toys."

"TOYS?! TOYS?!" The townspeople screamed and ran into their houses, avoiding him like the plague.

Kris asked Tasha and Topper, "What did I say?" Topper honked and shrugged his shoulders.

Tasha tugged her suit. "There's nothing wrong with my clothes, is there?"

"Of course not!"

The trio met some children by the fountain. They were washing their clothes and looked absolutely miserable. "Well, what's going on here?"

"We're doing our chores," said a girl.

"Yeah, no more playing," said a boy.

"No playing, eh?" Kris looked at what they were doing. "Are you washing out...stockings?"

"Uh-huh," said the boy. "It's one of our daily duties."

"Then we hang them by the fireplace so they dry overnight," said the girl.

"Is that so?" asked Tasha.

"That's the only way they judge you around here, by how many chores you do and how clean your stockings are."

"Well, that's not fun."

"We're not supposed to have fun."

Kris said, "Well, uh, you don't have to look so glum about it."

"Why?" asked the boy.

"I don't know. I just don't like sour faces. Now, I got some real nice goodies for you, but not if you look like this." Kris made a grimace. "You better watch out. Better not cry. Better not pout."

"Why?" the kids asked.

"I'm telling you why!"

"Yeah?"

"'Cause I came to town and look what I got!" Kris showed the toys in his sack.

"Toys!" the kids exclaimed. "Real toys!"

"Why sure! Compliments of the Kringles!"

But the kids still looked hesitant. "But...but what about the Burgermeister?"

"We'll give him a toy too," said Tasha. "I'm sure there's a big red yo-yo in that sack somewhere."

The kids giggled and called out to their friends, "Come on. Let's play!"

But before they could play, a stern woman's voice said, "WAIT! You must not play with toys!" The woman was about Kris' age, had her blonde hair tied in a bun and unlike everyone else in Sombertown, she wore a blue dress.

"Who are you?" asked Tasha.

"That's Miss Jessica, our new school teacher," said one of the girls.

"Kris Kringle at your service, Miss Jessica," said Kris with a bow.

"My name's Tasha."

Miss Jessica said with that stern tone, "How dare you come here in those ridiculous clothes and make fun of me?"

Kris looked down at his suit again. "Clothes again? I wasn't making..."

"And what do you mean by giving the children toys? Don't you know toys are against the law?"

Tasha looked down at the kids again who all nodded their heads. "Yep, it's true," they said.

"Gee. That's kind of a silly law."

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Kris," said Tasha.

"If the Burgermeister saw you, we would all be in great danger."

Kris was incredulous when Jessica said that. "In danger from toys?! Why that's the silliest thing I ever heard!"

"Toys are frivolous, impractical, unproductive, and..." Jessica stopped ranting when Kris handed her a doll. "What's that?"

"For you."

Jessica took it from him. "A China doll? I always wanted one when I was a little girl, but my parents wouldn't..." She gave the doll a kiss as a happy tear rolled down her face. "Oh! Thank you. I mean..."

Kris gave her a wink. "Watch out for that dolly. She's a hardened criminal, I hear."

"Yeah, harboring a toy is the same as robbing a bank in this town, apparently," joked Tasha.

The school teacher blushed. "Well, maybe it is a silly law. I mean..."

"What do you say you help me hand out these presents, huh? It's too big a job for two oversized Kringles and a little lost penguin."

Tasha blinked in confusion at Kris. "Kringle? My name is Fulbright."

"You're an honorary Kringle. That's just as good as any other Kringle." He chuckled.

Tasha watched as the kids gathered around to meet the man who promised them play time and freedom from the tyranny of misery.

Kris: Oh, what a good girl  
Oh, what a good boy  
Ho, ho, ho, what a big smile  
All because of a toy!

A boy and girl sat on his knees.

Kris: If you sit on my lap today  
A kiss a toy is the price you'll pay  
When you tell what you wish for  
In a whisper  
Be prepared to pay

Tasha: If you sit on his lap today  
A kiss a toy is the price you pay  
When you sit on his left knee  
Don't be stingy  
Be prepared to pay.

Kris: If whenever you take

Kids: If whenever you take

Tasha: You give a little back

Kids: You give a little back

Tasha: Then whoever you love

Kids: Then whoever you love

Kris: Will give a little love back

Kids: A little love back

Kris: So give a little love!

Kids: So give a little love

Tasha: Give a little love back!

Kids: Give a little love back

Kris and Tasha: Don't you have a little love?

Kids: A little love

Kris and Tasha: That you want to get back?

Kids: Give a little love back

If you sit on his lap today  
A kiss a toy is the price you'll pay  
When you sit on his left knee  
Don't be stingy  
Be prepared to pay

Kris and Tasha: Now if you sit on my (his) lap today  
A kiss a toy is the price you'll pay!

But then came trouble in the form of the Burgermeister, sitting in a wheelchair, making his rounds with his soldiers. "Ah, a perfect day. Everybody is glum. Ah, see? All the little children are playing with their toys." Wait, what? "Playing with their toys?! STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW!" The children froze in fear. "You brats are under arrest! Take them away," he ordered his soldiers.

Suddenly, Kris and Tasha stopped them. "NO! You won't take them!"

"She's right. It was my fault," said Kris. "I gave them the toys."

The Burgermeister made an incredulous and angry glare at him. "YOU?! How dare you! You are obviously a nonconformist and a rebel!"

"Me? Rebel?"

Tasha tugged on her sleeve. "It's the clothes, isn't it?"

"Arrest these two immediately," ordered Meisterburger.

Kris reached down his sack and pulled out a shiny red yo-yo. "For you."

The Burgermeister sputtered before he took it. "A...yo-yo? I love yo-yos! I used to do all kinds of tricks!" He laughed giddily as he played with the yo-yo.

Grimsly tugged on his sleeve and said, "Excuse me, sir, but you're breaking your own laws."

"Huh? What was that?" The Burgermeister's eyes bugged out and he dropped the yo-yo. "Ooh, I have been bamboozled! ARREST THEM! ARREST THEM!"

Kris and Tasha ran with Topper riding on the latter's shoulders. They knocked down the soldiers like dominoes and climbed up a drain pipe. "Oh, look! They climb like a squirrel..." Then they hopped across the rooftops. "...leap like a deer..." And slid down one roof and outside the town's border walls. "...and are as slippery as a seal! AFTER THEM!"

Kris and Tasha ran into the woods with the soldiers pursuing them. "They went into the woods," one of them said. "We'll never find them in there."

Kris and Tasha ran until they reached the foot of the Mountain of the Whispering Winds. "I guess we lost 'em, Topper. Slow down, now." Kris dropped the sack and came to rest on a log. "Ooh-whee! Wonder where we are."

Tasha spotted a sign and what she read sent a chill down her back. "'You are trespassing on the lands...of the Winter Warlock.'"

Suddenly, the trees grabbed Kris, Topper and Tasha and held them upside down. "HEY! HEY, LET GO! LET GO!"

In a flash of light, the Winter Warlock himself appeared. "Kris Kringle, Natasha Fulbright, you've disturbed me for the very last time. NOW I HAVE YOU! AND YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY! HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"

Kris was scared, but he had an idea. "Look, uh, before you do me in, would you tell your tree friends to let me loose for a second? You see, I have something for you."

The Winter Warlock growled, "What is this, a TRICK?!"

"Oh, oh, no, sir, Mr. Warlock, or may I call you Winter?"

"Mr. Warlock, if you please!"

"Oh. Well, I managed to save one little toy... And I'd like you to have it."

Tasha gave Kris an incredulous look. "You want to give that monster a toy?! He's going to do us in!"

"Why not? Everyone deserves a toy, even monsters like him."

The Winter Warlock's anger gave way to confusion. "You...you wish to give me, a present? A...a toy?"

"Yes, sir!"

"But, nobody ever gives mean old Warlock a toy!"

"I'd like to start a new custom. If you'd just call off..."

"Wha... what? Oh, oh, yeah. Uh, heh heh heh! Oh, yes, of course. But you mustn't mind the tree monsters. Their bark is worse than their bite." The Winter Warlock laughed at his own lame joke. "'Their bark is worse than their bite!' Ha, ha, ha, ha! Willie Willow! Peter Pine! Release the Kringle and Fulbright, hmm?" The trees dropped their captives on their heads. "And no tricks, now!"

"Oh, oh, no. No, sir, Mr. Warlock," said Kris as he handed the last toy he had left: a wooden train.

The Winter Warlock took it from him and held it close and kissed it. "A choo-choo! I've always wanted one!" He started to cry and that's when Kris and Tasha noticed the ice on his skin and hair started to melt off.

"What's that," he asked.

"My icy heart," wept the Winter Warlock. "It's melting!"

"Well, look, Mr. Warlock..."

"Please, please," the Winter Warlock said as he shook Kris' and Tasha's hands. "Call me Winter."

"You want to be called Winter now?" asked Tasha.

"Oh, yes! Yes! Suddenly, my whole outlook has changed from bad to good."

"Great!" said Kris.

"Ah, but will it last? I really am a mean and despicable creature at heart, you know. It's so difficult to...really change."

Kris laughed. "'Difficult'? Why look here, changing from bad to good is as easy as taking your first step!"

"Not really," said Tasha. "Babies don't start walking on their own. It is difficult."

Kris poked her nose and said, "Ah, but when they do take that first step, they find it is very easy after the hard climb. It is the same as changing your whole outlook on life."

Kris: Put one foot in front of the other  
And soon you'll be walkin' cross the flo-o-or  
Put one foot in front of the other  
And soon you'll be walkin' out the door

Kris did a little dance around Tasha, Topper and Winter.

You will never get where you're goin'  
If you never get up on your feet

Then suddenly, he started moonwalking in the air.

Come on, there's a good tailwind blowin'  
A fast-walking man is hard to beat

Topper started to walk forward only to slip and slide on the ice on his back.

Put one foot in front of the other  
And soon you'll be walkin' cross the flo-o-or  
Put one foot in front of the other  
And soon you'll be walkin' out the door

Tasha walked over to a mother and baby deer, the latter of whom was struggling to get up.

Tasha: If you want to change your direction  
If your time of life is at hand  
Well, don't be the rule, be the exception  
A good way to start is to stand

She helped the baby up and gently nudged her forward. Soon, a whole parade of animals were following Kris and Tasha.

Kris and Tasha: Put one foot in front of the other  
And soon you'll be walkin' cross the flo-o-or  
Put one foot in front of the other  
And soon you'll be walkin' out the door

Winter looked at his reflection in a frozen pond; it showed his previous evil self.

Winter: I want to change my reflection  
I see in the mirror each morn

Kris: Oh, you do.

Winter: You mean that it's just my election

Tasha: Just that!

The ice broke and revealed Winter's new good reflection.

Winter: To vote for a chance to be reborn? Woo-hoo!

Winter started to walk slowly forward with Tasha and Kris urging them on.

Tasha and Kris: Put one foot in front of the other  
And soon you'll be walkin' cross the flo-o-or  
Put one foot in front of the other

Winter soon began to walk faster and with more pep in his steps.

Tasha and Kris: And soon you'll be walkin' out the door

Kris, Winter and Tasha: Put one foot in front of the other  
And soon you'll be walkin' cross the flo-o-or  
Put one foot in front of the other  
And soon you'll be walkin' out the door

"Well, there's... There's all kinds of ways we can help each other," said Winter after the musical number. "You can bring me nice, new toys and... I can assist you with my magic."

"Eh...how?" asked Kris.

"Oh ho. I'll show you." Winter packed a large snowball. Tasha said the obvious, "It's a snowball."

"Oh, ye of little faith. Gaze into my magic crystal snowball. Someone is looking for you."

An image began to form in the snowball. It was Jessica, wandering around the forest and calling their names. "Kris? Tasha?"

"Jessica?"

"Go to her, lad and lass."

Jessica was surprised to run into her two new friends so soon. "Oh!"

"Only us, ma'am."

"I thought I'd never find you again. I wanted to bring you these..." Jessica handed them a bunch of letters. "Letters and notes from the  
children of Sombertown, asking for more toys. You see, the Burgermeister destroyed the ones you brought."

"You tell those young'uns there'll be plenty of toys, but only if they behave themselves. No cryin' or poutin' or... oh, I... I'll know. I got ways of known'." Kris made a crystal snowball of his very own. "My, uh, personal friend, the Warlock, taught me this. Yes, sir, I can see 'em when they're sleepin', and I know when they're awake."

"My goodness," chuckled Jessica. "You know if they're bad or good?"

"Trust me," said Tasha. "He's a man of miracles."

"So you tell them to be good, for goodness' sake," said Kris.

Jessica smiled and said, "Oh, thank you, Kris."

"For what?"

"For being so kind, for just being you." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and his face turned red.

"Golly," he said stupidly. He composed himself and said, "Now, uh... About the toys... I'll have to kind of slip 'em in after dark, when the Burgermeister is asleep, so you tell all the boys and girls to leave their doors unlocked tomorrow night."

"And the windows," said Tasha. "Don't forget the windows."

Jessica nodded.

Suddenly, Tasha found himself back on the ice block in front of the post truck. She didn't even question it anymore. "I take it the plan was a success," she asked S.D. Kluger.

"Well, Kris went back to the Kringles' to get some more toys. And what do you think those crazy Kringles did? Yes, sir, they all moved in on old Winter, lock, stock, and toy box. I guess they figured it made sense to move the source of supply close to the demand."

The snow swirled to show the Kringles moving their base of operations to Winter's mountain and begin setting up shop. Winter didn't seem to mind it one bit. "Oh, I'm crowded! But at least I'm loved!"

"Kris made a list of all the children and the toys they wanted. He checked it over once, then checked it over twice. He tried to figure out just who was naughty and who was nice."

Kris thought it over and said, "Well, I guess they're all pretty nice."

"So he packed up and was off to Sombertown. When Kris was safe inside Sombertown, he tried all the doors and windows, and if they were open, he knew a child lived inside who was expecting a toy."

The next morning, the Burgermeister was fuming when he saw happy children playing toys. "This is outrageous! Toys! Toys everywhere! What sort of criminal is this Kringle, sneaking into houses by night? I hereby decree that all the town's doors and windows will be locked tight against this prowler!"

S.D. Kluger chuckled. "Well, more and more letters came for Kris from the children. Jessica would gather them together and then give them to the animals, who would deliver them. And Kris, well, he just couldn't turn anybody down."

Tasha found herself just outside Sombertown's gates late at night. Kris was there. "Sorry to keep you waiting," she said.

"It's nothing. Come on."

But this time, he found all the doors and windows were locked to him. Now, there was one special toy he just had to deliver. Susie, a tiny little girl who was very, very sick, had asked Kris for a toy Noah's Ark. Kris just couldn't disappoint her.

"How do we get in, though," asked Tasha. "Unless your plan involves breaking the window with a rock, we're stymied."

Topper honked and hopped up and down. "Topper, shh," whispered Kris. The penguin honked again. "What is it? You have an idea... How to get into the house, but not through the door or window?" Topper pointed up with his flipper. "Up? The sky? The moon? The stars?"

Tasha looked to where he was pointing and saw it. "Kris, I think he wants us to go down the chimney."

"Great idea!"

The trio climbed up and Kris gripped the chimney's edge. "Well, here goes," he said before diving down with a sack of toys all for the little ones' joys.

And that's how he started going down chimneys.

Oh, now I understand.

Tasha reached down and helped Kris out. His clothes and face were dirty but he didn't care. "That's fun! What a great job I've got."

Tasha chuckled as she brushed some soot off him. "You're filthy."

"It's worth it! Besides, I have a feeling it's about to get worse. Come on, there's a lot more chimneys to explore tonight," he said with humor.

At the next chimney, Kris suggested that Tasha give it a try. She did...and got stuck half way down. It took a little push from Topper to help her go down all the way. When she was finished, she clambered back up and coughed. "Soot in my throat."

Indeed, by the crack of dawn, both Kris and Tasha were coated in black soot. "Now I know how a chimney sweep feels," she said.

"I think you make a better toy deliverer than a chimney sweep," said Kris as they walked back to the Kringles'.

"You really think so?"

"I do."

The next morning, the Burgermeister was furious. "More toys! Discovered by the hearths and the mantel pieces!" He gave Grimsly a new order, "Each house in Sombertown will be searched before dawn. If any more toys are found by the fireplace," he said as he unknowingly kicked a toy soldier into his chair. "They will be confiscated and the children severely punished! So be it!" He sat back down...and let out a yelp and jumped out of his chair when he felt the toy soldier's bayonet stab his rear.

But those letters just kept right on coming.

Tasha ran to Kris, delivering him bad news. "Kris we got two problems. One, there's not going to be enough supply to meet demand. Two, the Burgermeister's patrols are cracking down hard on us. I think it's only a matter of time before they find us."

"I know," Kris said. "We'll have to move. Doggone, how can I get the toys to them? They got to have toys. Otherwise, their life will be nothing but school and chores and washing their stockings and..." A lightbulb went off in Kris' head. "The stockings. The stockings!" He handed a letter to Tasha. "Take this to Jessica. She'll know what to tell the children."

"On it, Kris."

The Burgermeister walked in one of the houses with his patrols. "Company, halt! Search the premises," he ordered as the soldiers began to tear the house apart, looking for any "illegal contraband". "If you find so much as one marble or half a jack, the house is under arrest! Double time, hup!"

Grimsly made his report, "We can't find anything, Herr Burgermeister."

Meisterburger nodded. "Good. Very good. No toys. Nothing but drying stockings. Ha, ha, ha! As is proper. About face! Forward, march! Hup, hup, hup, hup, hup!"

The parents sighed in relief as the Burgermeister and his men left. "Phew," said the father. "Thank heaven there were no toys!" Boy were they surprised when their children revealed they were hiding them in the stockings.

And that's how he started leaving presents in stockings.

The Burgermeister was at his wit's end the next morning when he saw even MORE toys being played with in the streets. "More toys?! But how?!" He slammed his cane on his foot and yelped. "Ow! Blast it on my toe-ho-ho!" He had had enough. "I will do what I should have done a long time ago. I will set a trap for that bothersome Kringle. His next visit to Sombertown will be his last."

When Jessica overheard this, she gasped. "Oh, no! I must warn Kris."

But she was too late. Kris had already left with his toys.

The Kringles confirmed it when she asked them where Kris and Tasha were. Then came Winter. "Oh, Mr. Warlock..."

"Winter, please," he said. Something seemed off about him. He looked sad.

"You must help me stop Kris. Please, use your magic."

Winter shook his head sadly. "Oh... alas. I've been... disenchanted. I have no more powers." He made a sad chuckle as he said, "I can't even do card tricks."

"Oh, that's terrible! What shall we do?"

"Nobody is going to do anything!" It was Grimsly. He and his soldiers followed Jessica. "You are all under arrest for defying the law and making toys, and for being an accomplice to public enemy number one, Kris Kringle! To the dungeon!"

Jessica managed to flee before the soldiers caught her, but her heart was heavy with grief. The Kringles and Winter were captured and it was all her fault.

Oh, I tell you, things didn't look good. And meanwhile, back in Sombertown...

"Hold it," Kris said as he and Tasha arrived at the next house. "This chimney seems too small for all of us to fit in. Tasha, wait down below with Topper."

"Okay." The girl jumped down and landed softly, but to her confusion, Topper was gone. "Topper? Where did you go?"

"Don't move." Tasha slowly turned and saw four soldiers pointing their bayonets at her. One of them held Topper in his hands. "By order of Herr Burgermeister Meisterbuger, you are under arrest for aiding the terrible toy maker Kris Kringle and shall be placed in the dungeon."

Tasha made a scoff. "Don't you listen to yourselves? All this because a toy wounded his pride? Can't you see you're following a silly law?"

"Enough! There's nowhere to run! We already got your Kringle friends and the Winter Warlock!" Tasha's eyes widened when she heard that.

"No..."

Tasha fell to her knees. One of the soldiers approached her with a pair of handcuffs but before he could slap them on, she suddenly threw a snowball in his face and took off running. "After her!"

Kris slid down the chimney...and got the surprise of his life when he found the Burgermeister and his soldiers waiting for him. "Stop! You are under arrest!"

"Not me!"

"Wait. Look." Meisterburger pointed out the window to the soldiers holding Topper.

Kris was cornered. "What can I do?" He held his hands out. "You have me."

The Burgermeister laughed as he cuffed Kris. "To the dungeon!"

The soldiers couldn't find Tasha after she ran away. But it didn't matter anyway. The Burgermeister's soldiers razed the Kringles' workshop and took all the toys and placed them in a huge pile in the town's square. The Burgermeister as he held up a torch. "Children of Sombertown! You will never! Never! Play! AGAIN!"

The kids could only cry in their hands or their parents' chests as the toys were burned.

Well, sir, it looked like Kris was finally beaten.

Jessica met with the Burgermeister and pleaded, "Herr Burgermeister, please. You must set Kris and the little Kringles free."

But he just laughed. "Set them free? Never!"

"I promise they will never disturb you again."

"Bah! What good are your promises? Good-bye, good luck, and good riddance!"

Jessica frowned in determination. "My own town, turned against me. Well, my eyes are beginning to open for the very first time to what life is really all about. And I know just where I belong... With Kris, wherever he is."

She suddenly heard sobbing. She followed the sound to find Tasha, wearing her normal clothes and hiding behind some garbage cans. "Tasha?"

The girl looked up at her. Her eyes were leaking tears. "Leave me alone."

The school teacher knelt down. "Don't cry."

"I can't help it! I know Kris says he doesn't like crying, but I can't stop!" She sobbed into her sleeves. "It's all my fault! I ran away when I should have helped him! It's over! Done! Fin!"

Jessica looked at her and said, "Then it's my fault, too. I unwillingly led the Burgermeister to the Kringles and Winter. But it's not over. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"You escaped. I heard the children say that since you're still free, there's still a chance there will be toys again. Don't you see? We are their last hope!" She helped Tasha up to her feet and lead her to the fountain. "It's not over. Today is not the end. It's only the beginning."

Jessica: All the little cares  
Picked along the way  
Suddenly have disappeared  
With yesterday

Jessica let her hair down as she danced with Tasha.

Tossed about the fields  
And lost among the winds  
My world is beginning today

Jessica bent down to pick a flower from the ground.

Jessica: Oh, so many times  
Have I walked this way  
And never seen the little things I see today

The petals suddenly began to blow around the two women as they resumed to dance on the fountain's rim.

Jessica: Never had my head  
So high above the clouds  
My world is beginning today

Tasha began to feel hope come back into her heart as she began to sing.

Tasha: I know somethin's gonna happen

Jessica: But it's out of my hands

Jessica and Tasha: Things are gonna start snappin' without any plan

Tasha picked a Wanted! poster of Kris, tore it to shreds and tossed them into the air, letting them fall like snow.

Jessica and Tasha: All the little cares  
Picked along the way  
Suddenly have disappeared  
With yesterday  
Tossed about the fields  
And lost among the winds  
My world is beginning today  
My world is beginning today

Tasha went back to the dumpster to fish out her Kringle suit. "What are we waiting for?"

Well, Jessica realized the first thing she had to do was set Kris and the others free.

Jessica and Tasha approached the cell window to Winter's cell. Thank goodness it was on the ground floor. Jessica rapped on the bars. "Mr. Warlock?"

Winter looked up from his cot and sniffled in surprise. "Hmm? Oh! Oh, Jessica. Oh, Winter, please. What are you doing here?"

"Trying to set you all free, but I don't know how. If only you had your magic powers back."

"How did this even happen," asked Tasha.

Winter blew his nose before saying, "It happened when Kris gave me that toy and melted my icy heart. It melted my powers as well."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want to go back to that life again. Alone, cold. And I didn't want to worry any of you. Alas, I've nothing but a few meager magic leftovers here in my pockets: A short-circuited wand... useless; a dried-up magic potion... powerless; the tiny stubs of hundred or so magic candles; and a few, last handfuls of magic feed corn... just junk. Ah, me."

"Magic feed corn?" Jessica asked curiously.

"Well, it's of no use to us. It can't dissolve prison walls. All it can do is make reindeer fly."

"Reindeer...FLY?!"

"Yes, yes. Ridiculous, isn't it?"

Tasha had a bright smile on her face. "Actually, it isn't!"

Later that night, Jessica and Tasha rounded up some of Kris' reindeer friends. They just had to take one nibble of that corn, and... Whoo-ee! Look at them go! I bet you know their names.

Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen and Comet and Cupid and Donder and Blixem!

Yes, sir!

And don't forget...

A reindeer with a shiny red nose waved his hoof.

Ha, ha. No, that's another story.

Imagine the Burgermeister's surprise when he looked out his bedroom window and saw eight tiny reindeer flying in the sky and into the dungeon to free the Kringles, Winter and Topper. "Halt! STOP! STOP!"

"Let' go, Donder," shouted Kris. "Let's goooo!"

"Onward, Vixen, onward," Tanta urged the reindeer on.

Winter was feeling giddy. "Well, I still have a little magic! Ho ho! I'm not such a loser after all!"

Topper honked happily.

And that's how Santa's reindeer started to fly?

That's just the way it happened.

The reindeer saw Tasha waving a torch, signaling them to land. The reindeer skidded to a halt in front of her and Jessica. Jessica ran up to Kris and embraced him in a hug. Soon, all of Kris' friends were pulling each other into hugs, cheering and laughing.

Everyone except for Tasha. She turned to leave with a sad look when a hand touched her shoulder. "You know I don't like sour faces, Natasha."

Tasha couldn't face him. "I'm sorry, Kris."

"For what?"

"For running away. I should have stayed."

"I don't blame you," said Kris assuringly. "If you'd stayed, you would have been captured, too! But because you escaped, you gave those kids hope."

"So, why do I feel so guilty?"

"You shouldn't, because there's nothing to feel guilty about."

Tasha smiled. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Thanks, Kris." She turned to face everyone. "Guys, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"Bad news," the Kringles asked.

"You're going to have to find a new home. With Burgermeister Meisterburger destroying your cottage, and with him no doubt about to send his troops to find us, we're going to have to go somewhere far away where he will not even THINK to find us."

"She's right," said Kris. "We'll have to push on."

"I'll go anywhere you say, Kris," Jessica said.

And so began the long journey to...who knows where.

Back in Sombertown, the Burgermeister ordered his soldiers to search the entire country for Kris Kringle and his friends. That was also when the entire tyrannical Meisterburger family made a vow. "We Meisterburgers shall hunt them down throughout the land. Those rebels will not have one moment's peace until they are captured again! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Like Robin Hood of old, Kris suddenly found himself called an outlaw.

Kris stopped in front of a tree; pinned on it was a Wanted! poster of himself. "Wanted! Dead or alive, the Terrible Toymaker Kris Kringle!"

Kris did his trademark "Ho, ho, ho!" as he said, "Well, those posters are not going to do them any good now."

"Oh, Kris, let me take a good look at it."

Kris pointed to his red bead. "Pretty grand, eh?"

Jessica giggled. "It's perfect!"

"Well, since I'm a Kringle, I had to grow one sooner or later."

So that's why he has whiskers.

"Sorry, Kris, but that beard's not going to fool anyone," said Tasha.

"What do you mean?"

"The round nose, the blue eyes, the red hair, the red suit, they're a perfect match! Unless you plan to change your suit to blue, you're going to stick out like a sore thumb!"

"The child is right," said Tanta Kringle. "And you must not use your Kringle name! It's dangerous!"

"Not call myself Kringle?" asked Kris. "What other name would suit me?"

"There is one." Tanta gave him the license he had when he was an infant. "You were wearing this when we found you as a baby. See what it says?"

"'Claus'. Claus?"

"Your real name. You must use it now."

Tasha held up her hand. "Um, if you don't mind, why don't we call you Santa Claus?"

Kris...I mean, Claus raised an eyebrow. "'Santa'?"

"It means 'Saint' in Spanish," she explained.

Claus tapped his chin with a finger. "Saint Claus. I like it."

Jessica chuckled warmly as she held him close. "It sounds wonderful."

I knew it, I knew it! That's where he got his name from.

Mm-hmm, and it was that name he asked Jessica to share. It was that name Jessica agreed to take, as his wife.

Jessica. Oh, she became Mrs. Santa Claus.

It was a lovely wedding. Yes, sir. They held it on Christmas Eve, and since no town would welcome them, they stood before the Lord in the silent winter woods, and a grove of pine trees was their cathedral. They put all that pretty stuff onto the pine trees, and then Kris and Jessica placed their wedding gifts to each other under the trees. No church ever looked nicer.

Topper was asked to be the best man, Tanta was asked to be the bride's maid, some of the animals were the flower girls and Tasha was asked to be the ring bearer. Tasha looked like she was about to barf, she was so nervous. "I can do this," she whispered.

An organ played "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" as she walked down the makeshift aisle, holding Kris and Jessica's simple gold bands on a pillow.

"Thank you for being there for us," said Claus. "Don't cry. You know I don't like sour faces."

Tasha wiped her eyes. "I'm not sad. I'm happy. And Claus? I'm sorry for not believing in you before."

Watching with the Kringles, Winter said to himself, "Oh, please... Let me have... Just a little magic." He snapped his fingers and little balls of light appeared on all the trees.

The very first Christmas trees.

Claus: What better way  
To tell you  
How much you mean to me  
Than a token  
Of affection  
Placed beneath  
A Christmas tree?

Tasha: The custom started  
Long, long ago  
When first  
The Wise Men three  
Gave gifts of love  
Of lo-o-ove  
To a newborn  
Baby

But there was no rest for our little group of outcasts. Soon, they were forced up beyond the reaches of civilization, up far past the most northern city, past where even most animals live, up to the North Pole.

Claus chuckled his trademark laugh as he slid down the hill with Topper. "This is it. We'll build ourselves a nice house. Ha ha ha! Ho ho ho ho... Heck... ho ho... while we're at it, we'll build ourselves a castle. Ho ho ho ho ho! And the best toy factory in the world!"

"How?" asked Tasha. "You Kringles are toy makers not house makers."

"We're not one trick ponies," said Tanta. "We built so many toy houses by looking at the blueprints of the real things, we know how to build even a real castle!"

And that's just what they did. And in no time at all...

Santa's castle and workshop! Up at the North Pole!

Well, as soon as the buildings were built, they settled in and started making toys in earnest. Oh, they needed toys, because, you see, despite everything the Meisterburgers tried, the legend of Kris Kringle, or Claus, as he now was known, just grew and grew. And, as the years went by, animals delivered letters by the thousands.

Strangely, Tasha hadn't aged a day. No one really bothered to ask why. She helped the Kringles whenever she can. "I tell you, Kringle," she said. "I'm still a little worried."

"Why is that?" Claus and Jessica however, had gone through some changes. They both put on a couple of pounds and their hair was starting to turn silver.

"Despite the new equipment and larger facility, we STILL don't have enough supplies to meet demand! And judging by all these letters," she pointed to the ever growing pile of letters. "We're going to be in trouble."

"Oh, just look at this list. Well, we'll make do what we can until we can find a solution." He turned to his Kringle family. "Well... Load up the sleigh. Ho ho! Ah, this is the fourth trip this month."

Once again, Tasha was back on the ice block, in front of the post man. "You see, he still had to travel by night because he was considered an outlaw," explained S.D. Kluger.

"But, when did they stop calling him an outlaw," the girl's voice asked.

The snow formed an image in front of her: the Meisterburger mansion being demolished and all the statues of the Burgermeister being toppled over.

"Well, as time went by, that changed. You see, the Meisterburgers..." Kluger shrugged his shoulders. "They kind of died off and fell out of power. And by and by, the good people realized how silly the Meisterburger laws were. Well, everybody had a wonderful laugh and then forgot all about them."

"Oh, well," Tasha said with a shrug. "So much for 'no more toys'."

"Yes, sir. The older he got, the more famous he became, and the more folks loved him."

The image showed a new statue being placed in the square: a statue of Kris Kringle with a sackful of toys. Underneath was a plaque that read, "The Beloved Toymaker, Kris Kringle." Only, someone crossed out "Kris Kringle" and replaced it with "Santa Claus".

"He's very good, isn't he?" a girl's voice asked.

"Uh-huh. You bet."

"Is that why he's called 'Santa Claus'?"

"That's why, honey. That's why."

Once more, Tasha found herself back in Santa's Workshop, and things have changed again. Santa and Tanta were older, a bit more fatter and Santa's beard was longer now. They both looked up from the notes they were reading and Santa said, "Oh, Tasha! I didn't see you!"

"Just checking up on you."

"Well, it seems your worries about having not enough supplies have been confirmed. It turned into quite a proposition. I can hardly keep up with the orders. I'm afraid I'm going to have to limit my journeys to... one a year. But on which night should I go out? I wonder."

Tasha nodded and said, "I think we both know."

Both of them looked at the calendar. December 24. The day of the Clauses' wedding. "I like your idea," said Jessica.

It wasn't a hard decision to make. They chose, of course, the holiest night of the year. The night of profound love, which was the perfect night for giving.

Christmas Eve?

Christmas Eve, and that's how it all started.

Tasha loaded the last toy in the sled and helped the Kringles with the reindeer. She whispered to Santa, "Hey, if you ever meet a red-nosed reindeer, don't forget to ask him to join the sled team."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Soon, they were met with an old friend. "How goes it, Mr. Warlock?"

"Winter, please. I've got my magic power working just fine. I can cast up a big freeze. Yes, sir. I think I can guarantee a white Christmas."

"Wonderful! Then, let's be off!"

Tasha, the Kingles, Winter, Topper and Jessica waved Santa Claus goodbye as he began his yearly journey.

"And that is the story of Santa Claus," S.D. Kluger.

"Now I'm a believer," said Tasha.

"Gee, he's so wonderful," said the girl's voice. "Everybody must love him."

"Well... most everybody," said Kluger. "Oh, he's not considered an outlaw anymore, but there still are some..."

The snow swirled around Tasha, creating an image of three grumpy people.

"Eh, bah! Humbug!"

"Christmas is a bother. The noise, the crowds. I really wish it were outlawed."

"How can they talk about Santa Claus when there's so much unhappiness in the world?"

"Poor, misguided folks," said S.D. Kluger as the image disappeared. "They missed the whole point. Lots of unhappiness? Maybe so. But doesn't Santa take a little bit of that unhappiness away? Doesn't a smile on Christmas morning scratch out a tear cried on a sadder day?"

Tasha shrugged her shoulders. "Not much, maybe."

"But what would happen if we all tried to be like Santa and learn to give as only he can give of ourselves, our talents, our love, and our hearts? Maybe if we could all learn Santa's beautiful lesson, maybe there would finally be peace on earth and goodwill toward man."

"And that, my friend, is the true meaning of Christmas."

S.D. Kluger noticed the sun setting. "Hey, it's getting late, and I've got these letters to deliver."

"Oh! That reminds me!" She took out her brother's letter. "I'm supposed to deliver this! Mind if I hitch a ride and deliver it to him in person?"

"The more the merrier! And you better be getting home, too," Kluger said to his audience. "And remember, behave yourselves, 'cause Santa can still look into his magic snowball and see just what you're up to. And now that you know all about him, you can be darn sure that, come snow or high water..."

Tasha and Kluger: Santa Claus is comin' to town  
You better watch out, you better not cry  
You better not pout, I'm tellin' you why  
Santa Claus is comin' to town

The duo passed by a house where some kids were arguing over a toy, but stopped when they heard the singing and waved out to the postman and his passenger.

Kluger: He's makin' a list and checkin' it twice  
He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice  
Santa Claus is comin' to town

More passengers joined the journey: Topper and Winter Warlock and a couple of small animals like rabbits, birds, squirrels and a seal.

Tasha: He sees you when you're sleepin'  
He knows when you're awake  
He knows if you've been bad or good  
So be good for goodness' sake

S.D. Kluger and Tasha: Oh, you better watch out, you better not cry  
You better not pout, I'm tellin' you why  
Santa Claus is comin' to town

They drove by a village where a group of children were having a parade.

Children: With little tin horns and little toy drums  
Rooty-toot-toots and rummy-tum-tums  
Santa Claus is comin' to town

The post truck passed by the Kringles, who waved to the people in them and was greeted back with a wave.

Tasha and Kluger: And curly-head dolls that toddle and coo  
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars, too  
Santa Claus is comin' to town

Children: The kids in girl and boy land  
Will have a jubilee  
They're gonna build a toy land town  
All around the Christmas tree

They came to a stop in front of a familiar castle and a familiar jolly fat man stepped out of the door. Tasha smiled and hugged her old friend. "Hello, Kris."

"Hello, Tash."

She handed him the letter before the snow gently carried her away to return her home.

S.D. Kluger and Tasha: So you better watch out, you better not cry  
You better not pout, I'm tellin' you why  
Santa Claus is comin'  
Santa Claus is comin'  
Santa Claus is comin'  
To town

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"


End file.
